UNDER an aggressive ride from jockey Abel Cedillo, Thousand Words won the Shared Belief Stakes in Del Mar last Saturday and could still be a leading candidate for the Kentucky Derby.

Breaking from the inside, he set an easy opening quarter-mile in 23.89secs before Mike Smith on the favourite Honor A. P. made a surprise early move after the leader and went second to chase Thousand Words through three-quarters of a mile in 1m 12.33secs, but he found the leader still going strong.